Art, with a little help from her friends

Niles artist, two painting pals exhibit watercolors at library.

When Niles artist Sandra Siebold sees something she likes to paint, she reaches for her camera and then her watercolor brush.

The results can be seen at the exhibition of her watercolor paintings through July 25 at the Niles District Library.

Her paintings as well as a handful from two of her artist friends are on display in the Eleanor & Mowitt Drew Gallery in the library's rotunda. The watercolor paintings can be viewed during regular library hours Monday through Saturday.

The other artists are Jean Scheibelhiet and Peggy Vaughan. The three paint together every Wednesday at an area senior citizens center.

Siebold credits both her lifelong interest in art and what she's learned from several area teachers for what she's been able to do with her art career. She and her husband moved to the Niles area from Chicago nearly two decades ago, and she has taken art classes from teachers such as Steve Blackburn and Elizabeth James.

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"I've been painting for 30 years off and on," she said. "I do it for a while and then get busy with other things and don't paint for a while. ... My mother was an artist and she did oils and acrylics. I tried both, but I've always preferred watercolors and the softness you can get with them."

Siebold's favorite subjects include nature, flowers, children and animals. This exhibit includes a variety of subject matter -- from the pier and lighthouse in St. Joseph, flowers and grapes to paintings of her granddaughter with her dogs and even one of Raggedy Ann.

She credits her teachers with helping her do even more with watercolors. For example, she said, Steve Blackburn taught her about "water pouring," where she first draws a picture and then pours the watercolor paint on the paper and allows it to flow. She then finishes off the piece by painting in the shadows to give it depth.

Another method of watercolor painting she likes is "loose" watercolors, where she uses a real watery base and then tightens up the details of the painting.

This show has a number of examples of paintings she's done from photographs, including one of a decayed tree root she saw at a camp near Grayling, Mich., where she teaches art classes each summer.

As Siebold noted, each of her paintings has a story. One she calls "Nighty Nite" is from a Christmas card and depicts a young girl with her dog. Another that she calls "Tulips" features a pot of tulips her husband bought her. "I kept turning the pot around to see all the different angles and then I combined them in the painting," she said.

Her hope is that people will see the paintings and be reminded of a favorite memory of their own. For her part, she paints what she likes and what strikes her fancy at any given time.